6 Secrets to My Favorite Baby Quilt Patterns
Time Saving Quilting Secrets
Baby quilt patterns are as much fun to make as they are to gift. Here is a collection of secrets to my favorite baby quilt patterns. They are beginner friendly quilt patterns, yet also offer some great design opportunities to engage experienced quilters, too. But it’s the tips and techniques that will be saving you time on your next quilting project!
Each of these baby quilt patterns utilize methods that save me lots of time. There is a recap of each technique along with some secret tips for a better finished quilt that will also save you precious time, too. Plus, many have free baby quilt pattern pages you may download. These tips and techniques may be used on most quilts, not just these mentioned below.
Please enjoy these Secrets to My Favorite Baby Quilt Patterns and ideas. Most are very easy projects and finish quickly. I hope you get inspired to start one today and maybe even another tomorrow! With the helpful time-saving tips included, they will not take long to make at all.
Crib Size Baby Rag Quilt
#1 Here’s My Secret to A Baby Rag Quilt WITHOUT Batting!
This Crib Size Baby Rag Quilt is a great beginner’s baby quilt pattern because there is really not any quilting required. A crib size rag quilt can be made very easily. With some quick shortcut secrets, you will save lots of time. First, use 5” precut charm squares instead of cutting blocks from yardage. Since both the quilt top and backing are pieced, this will save you incredible prep time so you can get right to sewing.
The big time saver is to replace the batting layer with flannel. This will minimize your time cutting the batting squares a different size, plus there’s no additional quilting step. The middle layer of batting may be cut at the same time as the other square. Even easier is that all three layers are sewn together at the same time without any quilting.
Flannel Backed Rag Quilt Made with 10″ Squares
This flannel backed rag quilt is make with 10″ squares taking advantage of using precuts. It also has flannel as the middle layer in place of batting. There are a few huge advantages to this technique. Rather than cutting batting smaller than the square size which can take up lots of valuable time, using flannel precuts means there is much less cutting for you in the beginning.
Additionally, since the flannel is sewn right into the seam between the top and backing layers, you do not have to sew an ‘X’ through the block to hold the batting in place. Best of all, with the extra flannel layer sewn into the seam, you will get an even fuller rag edge. It is a perfect solution and saves you so much time! See more of the tutorial & assembly details for this Flannel Backed Rag Quilt.
Here’s a special discount to my Ruffled Rag Quilt Border eCourse so you can finish off your rag quilts with a soft, snuggly border like the one pictured above. I find that adding borders to a rag quilt reinforces all the edge seams that otherwise are left exposed.
Modern Fat Quarter Batik Baby Quilt
This Modern Fat Quarter Baby Quilt is a good beginner’s choice for a baby quilt pattern. It is a batik fat quarter friendly quilt that is a breeze to make. The best part is it only has six large blocks with an optional border. The secret is in the cutting! Choose a pretty combination of 6 batik fat quarters plus one more for your accent piece. Layer and cut all your fat quarters at one time.
#2 Here’s My Secret to A Modern Fat Quarter Batik Baby Quilt
The secret to this quilt is two-fold. First is the large block size that goes together so quickly. Secondly is the block layout technique. You will arrange your fabric pieces to make each block unique with a different grouping of fabrics. Then you just sew your blocks together into a quilt top and you are finished. Download the free ‘All Blocked In’ Modern Fat Quarter Batik Baby Quilt Free Pattern to get all four pattern variations.
Easy Baby Quilt with Charm Squares
This Easy Baby Quilt with Charm Squares is a great beginner’s baby quilt pattern. It is short on prep but goes a long way to creating a fantastic design. Precuts always make a quilt project quicker. In this case it not only makes the job easier but creates an even more spectacular quilt filled with color. Start with one printed charm pack and one contrasting background charm pack. That is all the prep you need for this quilt.
#3 Here’s My Secret to An Easy Baby Quilt with Charm Squares
This adorable baby quilt pattern uses charm squares for the Brick Path block rather than the traditional rectangles. The secret behind using charm squares eliminates cutting two different size blocks. Since the rectangles are formed with two charm squares, the offset row simply starts with a single block. How much easier is that!
The additional benefit is the larger selection of prints in charm packs which makes for a dynamic quilt top. Just piece your blocks in the Brick Path layout shown in the Easy Baby Quilt with Charm Squares Free Pattern and you will have a completed baby quilt before you know it! This is a project you can finish in an afternoon.
Easy Rail Fence Batik Baby Quilt
The Rail Fence quilt pattern has been around for more than a hundred years and probably has just as many design variations! A Rail Fence quilt can be a simple double stack block like this one, or far more intricate with many more stacked rectangles making up each block. This Easy Rail Fence Baby Quilt is a beginner friendly batik baby quilt pattern and is perfect for using batik fat quarters or clearing out any fabric in your stash pile.
#4 Here’s My Secret to An Easy Rail Fence Baby Quilt – Strip Piecing
What makes this quilt special is the beautiful batik fabrics with high contrasting prints. The secret to making this such an easy quilt and a great design is the strip piecing. Pairing bold batik print fabrics with geometric black and white prints creates a vibrant modern quilt. Strip piecing your blocks in 18” lengths provides for even more wonderful design variety across your quilt top. This is also very fat quarter friendly, too!
Strip quilting small quilts can be a disadvantage if you want to mix it up rather than have repetitive blocks. Sewing pairs of the same fabrics in 42” lengths results in a lot of the same color blocks. But combining 18” strips allows you to change up your block combinations more while also benefiting from the strip quilting technique. You will love this time-saver and the stunning quilt you will make! Be sure to download this Free Easy Rail Fence Baby Quilt Pattern so you can get started right away.
Easy Double Rail Fence Baby Quilt
There are two variations of this baby quilt pattern that I like to use. Frist is the Pink Floral Double Rail Fence Baby Quilt which is perfect for a little girl. The benefit here is using lots of different fabrics. The Blue Double Rail Fence Baby Quilt is a sweet option for a little boy and uses strong repeating prints. Both use the same block pattern, but each has a very distinctive look.
There are multiple ways to approach a rail fence quilt. For example, you may choose to have a strongly defined rail fence pattern by using a dominant color. Alternatively, you may choose to go scrappy with all kinds of colors going on for an incredibly fun, and perhaps busy looking quilt.
#5 Here’s My Secret to A Double Rail Fence – A Focal Primary Rail
While the biggest time-saver to this quilt is strip piecing, your fabric color selection for the rails are a significant design element. In both these quilts, my secret is making the primary rail a nearly solid color. This makes that rail the dominant focus and keeps the rest of the quilt in order.
The blue quilt repeats the same block in the same colors. Plus, the stark contrast of the solid blue rail makes a bold statement. You will notice that the blue and red floral print also creates a second, less dominant rail. That is why this is called the Double Rail Fence pattern.
The pink quilt really emphasizes this strong design element secret. Notice how many different floral fabrics there are in this quilt top. It would become a chaotic clash of prints if not for the pink rail that tempers all those florals into submission. Keeping your primary rail in a strong color not only emphasizes the pattern, but also allows you to add more fabric variety while maintaining an appealing quilt to look at.
You may download the free pattern How to Make A Double Rail Fence Baby Quilt and use it for either variation. To make it a larger size, just keep on strip piecing and making more blocks!
The FINAL SECRET to My Favorite Baby Quilt Patterns
This Final Secret to Baby Quilt Patterns will make a difference in every quilt you make. We are talking about nesting your seams. Do not skip this step! It is easy and results in a beautifully finished quilt top.
This simple technique refers to how two seams are placed where blocks are joined at a seam. First the top seam allowance is placed so it is facing the sewing machine presser foot. Then the bottom seam allowance is placed so it faces towards you. Pin the seams in place on top of each other and sew, being sure to remove the pin so you do not break your needle.
#6 Here’s My Top Secret to All My Favorite Baby Quilt Patterns – Nesting Seams
There are two reasons to nest intersecting seams this way. First, when the opposing seams are sewn in this method, the bulk of the seam allowance is spread out. This eliminates too much fabric on one side of the seam which may create a lumpy surface where seams are joined. Instead, you want a nice smooth quilt top with blocks that blend well and are not joined with protruding seam allowances.
Secondly, the motion of the presser foot snuggles the top fabric into the seam of the bottom fabric. This little bit of nudging aligns those two seams up perfectly! It works every time and truly is noticeable in a finished quilt that will stand apart from the rest!
6 Secrets to My Favorite Baby Quilt Patterns
What’s Your Favorite Quilting Tip
Every quilter finds techniques that work overtime through experience and maybe even a few very ugly quilts! Sometimes a simple change in methods or trying a new approach can make a huge difference in how our quilts turn out. We quilters are creators and are driven by a creative gift that needs nurturing. Sharing these secret tips is my way of bringing you a bit of inspiration for your next quilting project.
Give some of these ideas a try and see what you come up with. If you have some great secret tips you would like to share, please comment below and we can add them to this list.
Want to Learn More About Rag Quilts?
Be sure to sign up for my Free Rag Quilt eCourse. I’ll send you a daily email for a week that outlines everything you need to know about rag quilting. It’s a great way to learn some new & helpful rag quilt tips & techniques!
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